


Ghosts That Remain

by shkanonyasutrice



Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2015-07-30
Packaged: 2018-04-08 19:35:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4317156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shkanonyasutrice/pseuds/shkanonyasutrice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Red dies in a freak accident, Green has only one hope left of ever seeing him again, due to the after effects of being possessed by ghosts. His luck finally begins to turn around upon finding Red once more, but things can never return to normal. [Originalshipping] [Hiatus- Possibly to be lifted?]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I finally got around to writing again! I've wanted to write a Red/Green centered story for some time now, so I'm excited to write this! 
> 
> I can't promise updates will be as quick as they were with The Worst Game in History, as I'm stuck on mobile for the time being. I'll try to update as frequently as possible!
> 
> A big thank you to Red for this idea! I hope you all enjoy reading this, and as always, feedback is deeply appreciated!

"Green. Wake up."

Pulling the bed covers tightly over himself, Green felt annoyed. It was the fourth time this week he heard that voice call him to get up, despite how often he refused to. His visitor's persistence was starting to become tiring.

"I know you're awake! You never went to bed this early before. Get up, it's only nine!"

Green showed no signs of budging. He remained stubbornly under the blankets, hoping that for once, the other person would get the hint and leave. He was in no mood for a conversation.

He received a forceful nudge. Grimacing, he held back any indication that the action annoyed him. However, he did spare a peek out of his duvet. The other person squinted, and made eye contact with him. _Looks like I got caught again,_ he thought, waiting for today's scolding.

Upon confirming her suspicions, Blue glowered at him for a few seconds, and then laid her hands over the covers. Green looked up at his childhood friend suspiciously, hesitant to trust what she was doing. Then, she tugged at the covers with as much force as she could muster, ripping them away from him.

Green immediately sat up, glaring at Blue. She smirked back at him, feeling triumphant. There was silence between them for a moment or two, before Green finally spoke up.

"Can't you ever take a hint? I don't want to talk to you, and doing that won't change anything", he snapped, pointing to the duvet that she was now holding. His harsh tone wiped the smile off her face, but she refused to back down.

"I already got that message. But don't you at least want to give me a chance today? It won't be as painful as you think", she attempted to coax him, keeping her tone light and sweet.

"I'd prefer if you left."

Blue frowned at him for a moment, feeling like these days were becoming increasingly repetitive. She had no plans to spend the rest of her days trying to get him to talk, so she had come up with a plan. As if she only remembered it at that moment, she smiled again, and shrugged. Green raised an eyebrow, growing suspicious.

"Fine, that's your choice. I gave you a chance to talk to me", she said, in a tone that almost sounded apologetic. Then, she turned towards the door, "I tried! You can come in now!"

Tensing up, Green leant forward slightly, looking to see who Blue brought along. His first suspicions were Yellow or Kris, Blue's go-to people when her methods failed. He also suspected it might be Gold, who could get on Green's nerves easier than anyone else. He tried to consider arguments against all of these three, until the person Blue invited finally came into sight. His eyes widened, and he glared at Blue once more.

"You're kidding", he hissed, before glancing back out at the approaching person.

"You can't say I didn't give you a few chances. I don't know about you, but I don't really want to spend the rest of my life doing this", she replied.

Green stared silently at the person who walked into the room, all signs of malice and irritation wiped off his face. Blue took a step back, leaning against the wall. She also glanced at her guest.

Daisy looked dismayed upon seeing her younger brother. The two siblings just stared for a moment, before she stepped towards the bed. Green was prepared for a few scenarios, such as a scolding, or the two girls talking about how ridiculous he was acting. He wasn't prepared for what she chose to do, and almost wished he had been yelled at, instead.

She laid a hand gently on top of his head, and slowly stroked. It was a gesture which Green was familiar with; she had used it when they were children, often whenever he got overly upset. At the time, he found the gesture calming. Daisy hadn't attempted to comfort him in such a way in several years, but this time, it only made him feel more ashamed than comforted.

"Green, I thought you said you were doing fine. You said everything was back to normal", she told him, prompting him to explain. After several seconds had passed, he finally forced himself to speak.

"Everything _is_ normal. I'm at the gym every day, and I've been coming home at seven every evening. There's nothing abnormal about that", he explained. Daisy was still frowning, confusing him.

"But you're cutting yourself off from everyone, too. That's not normal. If you need to talk to someone about how you're feeling, you should know that everyone's-"

Green shook his head, placed a hand on top of her own, and pulled it off his head. He looked at her with a sharpness in her eyes that hadn't been there before, all previous feelings of shame lost.

"I don't need to talk to anyone. I'm happier having time to myself right now, and besides, I haven't been given the option to have time alone. Blue's been here every night, and Yellow visited me at work a few weeks ago. I'm _fine_ ", he said, attempting to keep his tone calm.

"Yellow told me your conversation with her didn't end too well. And I've been coming over to try and get you out of this place!" Blue snapped. Daisy glanced between the two worryingly.

"In case you haven't noticed, it's been a rough couple of weeks. Spending time alone isn't that unusual. If you all want to take your minds off what happened by doing something, I'll consider coming along if it'll keep you out of my apartment."

"It's nearly been a _month_. You need to try and get your life back on track sooner than later. And we did all meet up- Ruby's birthday, remember? We invited you, and I _know_ you weren't doing anything, and you still missed it", Blue said, quickly losing her patience.

"Ruby celebrates his existence every day. I'm sure he'll get over the fact I missed it", Green replied, shrugging.

There was silence in the room for a moment. Daisy could see that tensions were still high between Blue and Green, and she was tempted to say something to ease the tension. Before she could, her brother spoke up once more.

"The party was held three days after what happened. Surely you understand why I wasn't in the mood for it", he spoke softly.

"All of us wanted to pick ourselves up. I didn't exactly like the memory of the last Dexholders meeting being... Well, you know", Blue said, her voice growing quieter.

 _His funeral. It isn't a taboo word,_ Green thought, leaving the word hanging in the air between them. Although he wouldn't admit it, he could understand where Blue was coming from. Still, he remained quiet, until she spoke up once more.

"So, I was right, huh? The reason you've locked yourself away every night after work is because you miss Red. But hey, how come you haven't visited his grave yet? It can help. And I know Yellow's invited you there. You know people would be willing to accompany you, if it's too overwhelming to do alone", she offered, her tone turning gentle.

"I'll visit that place alone, and in my own time. I can't do it with any of you", he replied, sounding equally as calm.

"Why not? You can't keep cutting yourself off from the rest of us. If going there is what it takes, then I'll go with you", Blue said, her voice wavering. Daisy half rose from the bed, but before she could do anything, Green glared at Blue, looking her directly in the eyes.

"None of you would understand!" he snapped. He knew it was the most common reason used, but it was enough to make Blue flinch. Then, she glared back at him.

"Fine, if you're so sure I won't understand, go live your life how you want! But, you weren't the only one that cared about him. We're all hurting too, so don't act like you're the only one suffering!" she sneered. Her harsh tone began to lose its edge as tears began to form in her eyes, and she looked downwards. "I was close to him as well. I miss him too, you know."

As she began to tremble, she decided that she didn't want to spend another moment in the room. Blue turned on her heel and walked at a fast pace. Green and Daisy listened to her footsteps, until she reached the front door of his apartment, exited, and slammed it shut. Daisy winced, and then turned towards Green.

"I hope you understand why she's upset. I know she's angry, but she's deeply worried about you, too. That's why she spoke to me", Daisy said, her tone quiet compared to how Blue and Green were moments ago.

"I know", he replied, not making eye contact with her.

Daisy seemed to mull over her next choice of words, and then spoke once more. After a few moments of hesitation, Green finally brought himself to look at his sister.

"I do think you should take Blue's advice, though. If going to Lavender Town is what it takes to put your mind at ease, I recommend doing it soon. The longer you spend here, the more consequences you'll have to face. Just think about doing it soon, okay?" she suggested. She gazed at him sympathetically. "I know it's not going to be easy, but it'll benefit you in the long run. I promise."

 _You can't say that for certain until I finally go,_ Green thought, but figured that there wasn't any point in upsetting anyone else that night. Instead, he nodded, causing Daisy's face to light up.

"I'll go sooner than I intended", he agreed.

"I'm happy to hear it! I'll be here for you if you need me, okay?" she offered, beginning to stand up.

He muttered something about understanding. Daisy reached down to give him a light hug, wished him luck, and walked out of his bedroom. Once he heard the front door open and close once more, Green edged over to the end of his bed, his feet pressed against the wooden floor.

At once, he decided to put aside his plans of sleeping early that night. Instead, he chose to take his sister's advice to finally go to Lavender Town. It had been nearly a month since he was there, but had purposely avoided it since then. He knew that going back would answer an important question that he wasn't sure if he was ready to answer or not: Was Red still here?

Knowing there was only one way for him to find out, Green began to prepare to leave. He knew it might turn out to be one of the longest nights of his life.

* * *

 

Due to the fact it was still summer, the sky had yet to turn fully dark, even at ten in the evening. Green's attention wasn't focused on the sky, though. He was busy staring down at the towns beneath him, waiting to see the eerie little town where his best friend was laid to rest. Charizard kept glancing back at his owner curiously, knowing that something wasn't right.

Green hadn't told anyone that he had chosen to leave the same night that Daisy and Blue visited. He wanted to keep his visit, as well as his reasons for feeling anxious, private. He knew Blue was convinced that he simply missed Red, but it went beyond that.

There was one way he could see for certain whether or not Red was still here. He was dead, there was no question about that. It was difficult to accept, even after a month. Green's mind kept returning to the call he received from a police officer, telling him that there had been a horrible accident during a Pokemon battle. He had seen the body for himself later, confirming any suspicions. However, he chose not to reflect too much on Red's death, for the time being.

There was one thing that kept Green from completely breaking down during one of the toughest events in his life; the after effects of what had happened in Lavender Town when he was eleven.

Even as a child, he suspected that having his body possessed by a wild ghost would have some impact on him. At first, he noticed nothing. If he spent longer in the town, he might have realized it sooner, but the after effects came to light approximately a week later.

While traveling through Saffron City, he had seen a woman standing in front of a store, staring at him with wide eyes. He felt equally shocked staring back at her. Although he was able to make out the color of her skin, hair, and clothes, he could still see the storefront behind her. It was suspicious enough for Green and he began forming possible theories in his mind, but his suspicions were confirmed seconds later. A man entered the store, walking directly through the woman, as if he didn't see her at all. It was certain that he didn't, given how nonchalant his attitude had been. The woman barely reacted either. Instead, she continued staring at Green, stunned he could see her.

There was no question about it; he had seen a ghost.

 _This isn't happening,_ he thought, _This never happened to me before, and it's not happening to anyone else around me. None of this makes any sense._ He deliberated walking towards her for a moment, and seeing how she'd respond, but decided against it.

Instead, he had bolted out of the area, trying to hold back any surprised or terrified cries. It had taken him some time to recollect himself, but once he did, he decided that he couldn't tell anyone else. No one would ever believe he held that kind of power, and even if they did, he saw no reason to announce what he was capable of. It didn't seem like the kind of thing to be proud of.

As the years passed, Green noticed ghosts more frequently, and they always greeted him with the same level of surprise. He eventually grew used to it, barely reacting to seeing the deceased wandering around. They never made an attempt to interact with him, and vica versa. That suited him just fine. It became a rather ordinary thing for him, once he grew used to it.

It even began to make sense to him, after his possession in Lavender Town. His "sixth sense" had become more acute after having a ghost share his system for a fortnight. The explanation was as logical and simple as that, and Green never had any doubts or worries since then.

That is, until eleven years later. From the moment he found out Red had died, fear was one of the primary emotions he felt over the past few weeks. Green was terrified to find out whether or not his best friend's ghost was still lingering on the planet. He feared how he'd manage interacting with a ghost for the first time; especially since it was _Red_. He had no possible idea of how it could go, or how he would cope with another confirmation of his death.

What scared him even more was the possibility of Red not being there. He wasn't present at the funeral, which worried Green right away. There was no guarantee that Red would be wandering around, and could have immediately moved onto whatever was next. If that possibility came true, then Green would have to accept the fact once and for all that Red was truly gone.

No matter what happened, all the potential possibilities scared him. He knew that if he didn't try and find out for himself soon, though, he could put it off forever. For the past month, it was the main question that plagued his mind, and he was determined to answer it.

Two tall towers in a small town came into sight. Green knew he had arrived at his planned destination. Once he pointed downwards, his Charizard flew downwards, and land came closer into sight. It slid along the ground once it landed, causing Green to tighten his grip. Once it came to a complete stop, he hopped off, returning his companion to its Pokeball.

There were far more human ghosts than living people wandering around Lavender Town, at this time at night. Green's eyes scanned the crowd of the dead at first, briefly surprising some, but he barely gave them any acknowledgement. None of the ghosts outside were who he was looking for. Already beginning to feel pangs of doubt, he walked towards a tower adjacent to the Pokemon Tower.

The indoor graveyard for humans had only been around for the last decade or so, but had already attracted attention. It had a similar look to the Pokemon Tower, but due to its new appearance, it looked slightly less intimidating. There was still a haunting aura surrounding it.

Feeling his heart begin to beat at a rapid pace, Green forced himself to move forward. It felt like every step required heavy amounts of motivation. However, he refused to turn back. He refused to spend the rest of his life simply wondering if Red was still here.

 _Third floor. Just concentrate on getting to the third floor_ , he told himself once he entered the building. On the first floor, there were several ghosts wandering around, many of whom barely noticed Green. He barely acknowledged any of them either, and walked up to the first flight of stairs.

As he walked through the second floor, he began to have his doubts about whether or not visiting his grave was the first correct plan of action. All his information on where to locate ghosts came from other supposed spiritual advisors, but he couldn't take their word for certain. Still, it was all he had to go off of.

As he reached the flight of stairs leading to the third floor, Green briefly came to a stop. He felt as if he had a migraine out of sheer nervousness. His heart rate had yet to drop, and although he had only walked a short distance, he felt out of breath. If he didn't start moving again, he was afraid that he would faint at any moment. _You've made it this far. Don't be a coward and turn back now._

Taking in a deep breath, Green took one step at a time, leaving the second floor behind and entering the third. From what he could see, there were no other living humans on the third floor. There were about a dozen ghosts wandering around, a few of whom turned to look at who had arrived.

Once again, he ignored their stares, and walked slowly towards Red's grave. He glanced around, attempting to locate him, but only saw strangers. He kept searching, mainly in an attempt to avoid any worrying thoughts that were beginning to occur.

Green came to a stop in front of Red's grave, and felt his knees collapse. He stared at the inscription for several seconds, feeling a new wave of sorrow overtake him. It took him a few seconds to remember why he came out in the first place, and looked from side to side. He still couldn't see Red.

His previous feelings of terrified curiosity were replaced by some kind of emptiness. Even if Red was still on the planet, Green knew he could be searching for years before he'd even have the slightest glimmer of hope for finding him. The thought of possibly dedicating his life to finding the ghost of Red sounded bleak and depressing, even if he was determined to do it.

"Where are you, dammit?!" he muttered under his breath, curling his right hand into a fist. He tried to look on the bright side; he had finally come out to look, but he didn't feel much better.

Then, five transparent fingers curled around the gravestone. Green's head snapped up, staring at it incredulously. The pounding in his head was worse than ever, but he barely noticed. He could barely bring himself to breathe.

On the other end of the gravestone, five more fingers curled around it. Then, a head slowly rose from behind the stone. The black, spiky hair was unmistakable, as well as that curious, slightly confused look, which Green had become familiar with over the years.

Red was staring down at him, his expression changing from curious to shocked, upon realizing Green was staring back at him. He had a brief flashback to expression of the first ghost he ever saw, but the comparison quickly ended, as a smile broke out on Red's face.

He stood up, and leaned over the gravestone, shortening the distance between his face and Green's. Although it should have served as proof that it wasn't a hallucination, Green still stared on in disbelief. Several seconds passed, and he began to wonder whether or not ghosts had the ability to speak. Then, still smiling, although shocked, Red opened his mouth.

"Green? You can see me?" he asked quietly, his voice full of hope.

He attempted to breathe in and begin speaking again, but it felt as if something were caught in his throat. Staring at Red's ghost for a few more seconds, he realized that the pounding in his head was becoming worse, undoubtedly due to how overwhelmed he felt. There was too much to take in, and he couldn't even find the words to say.

Before he could reply, dizziness took over, and the world turned black. Green could have sworn he heard Red cry out in surprise just before his senses became dormant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, dear.
> 
> I hope the first chapter turned out alright! I'll get into more detail on Red's death in the second chapter, as well as other things!


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Green realized when he woke up was that he was no longer sitting on the hard surface of the indoor graveyard. Stretching his hands out, he realized he was feeling carpet. His head was pressed against a hard surface. Letting out a slight groan, he finally willed himself to open his eyes. His vision was blurry at first, but as it slowly began to adjust, his senses of confusion quickly left him. He sat up straight, pressing his back further against the surface behind him.

Red was sitting directly in front of him, watching intently. Upon seeing Green had woken up, his worried expression was replaced with a bright smile. He appeared to completely miss how much Green had tensed up, remaining as happy as ever.

"Hey, you're awake! You okay? You passed out pretty quickly", Red inquired, gazing at his friend's lost expression.

Green couldn't respond for a moment. It still had yet to sink in that his search for Red had been successful, and his ghost was currently attempting to converse with him. He didn't even know where to go from this point. All he wanted was to ensure Red hadn't fully left them yet, but since that was confirmed, he had no idea how to handle it. To start, he decided to finally answer his question.

"I'm fine", he answered simply. They were the first words he spoke to Red after his death, but despite their insignificance, it was enough to make the boy smile in relief. He had his doubts about whether or not Green could actually see him, so being spoken to was a perfect start.

Before Red could respond, Green glanced around at his surroundings, frowning. He was more than familiar with where he had woken up; it was the sixth floor of his apartment complex, also where his apartment was located. Daring to look away from Red, he craned his head to look at what he was leaning against. His suspicions were confirmed; he was leaning against his own apartment door. He looked back at Red.

"How did I end up here? I know where I blacked out", he asked, barely bringing his tone above a murmur.

"Charizard brought you back, and I tried to carry you up the rest of the way. I couldn't bring you inside, though. Sorry about that", Red explained, nodding at the locked door.

Although Red had been clear enough with his clarification, Green felt like he had even more questions after his explanation. However, he decided not to press him with those questions yet. He had no idea how long he had spent in the hallway, and decided it was best to get inside as soon as possible.

As he stood up, he stretched briefly. Red stood up along with him, showing no signs of fatigue. Turning around, Green opened his door with his key, and went inside, and after a second or two, closed the door. The apartment was cast in darkness, as he didn't leave any lights on before he left. Switching the overhead on, he turned towards the door once more.

Red was too slow to enter through the door when it was open, so as Green turned around, he saw a sight that made his head begin to reel all over again. Red slowly seeped through the door, as if there was no barrier between the corridor and the apartment. His smile was wiped off his face once he saw how pale Green had become.

"Sorry, I forgot that you're not used to this kind of stuff", he mumbled, sounding a little sheepish.

"I don't have any problems with it, if that's what you're thinking", Green quickly replied, feeling caught off guard.

He realized that Red had yet to see that Green was used to seeing the effects of transparency. He had grown to no longer react to it, but seeing Red do so was different. All he could do was hope that he could quickly adjust to the fact that he was watching someone he was extremely close to use the abilities of the dead.

"I don't know, you should still get a glass of water, or something. You're still pretty pale..." Red suggested, turning his head toward the sink, where a few used glasses were sitting.

Deciding not to argue against his suggestion, Green nodded and walked over to the sink. When he picked up one of the glasses, he realized his hands were shaking. He glanced over his shoulder at Red, who was watching him curiously. Once he was certain that the other boy couldn't see his shaking hands, he turned on the cold water, and filled the glass with it. Taking a sip, he turned back towards Red.

"You kinda scared me back there. I know you said you were fine, but you should still look out for yourself. I don't know what I'd do next if you passed out again", Red told him.

"I won't", Green replied, feeling slightly distracted from what Red was actually saying.

It was hard to believe that the boy in front of him had been dead for nearly a month. Red was acting exactly as he did before that disastrous day. For a moment, Green worried that he had forgotten everything. He quickly shook away that thought, as Red seemed rather adjusted to living as a ghost. Once Green started thinking of his death, however, he couldn't shake that thought away as easily.

It had been towards the end of June, and Green had only spoken to him the night before. Red had casually mentioned towards the end of their conversation that he had received a challenge from someone visiting Kanto, which seemed to excite him. It had been a long time since he was crowned Champion of the Pokemon League, so challenges had been few and sparse. Green wished him luck, figuring that Red would have absolutely no trouble against him.

Green only heard the majority of the events that occurred from that point onwards from police reports. At eleven that morning, Red had taken his usual team to the outskirts of Viridian City, keeping close by the League. His opponent, whose name Green never found out, arrived thirty minutes later. According to witnesses, the person had kept his face shielded by a tourist-like baseball cap, but appeared to be an ordinary man. He was the only other person, apart from Red, to go west of Viridian City that day. After that, no one could locate him.

Their battle appeared to be going in Red's favour, as they later found four out of six of his healthy Pokemon in their Pokeballs. His final choice had been his Venusaur, who went up against a Sandslash. His opponent gave his command first, but as the Sandslash ran forward, it completely missed Saur. Just as Red was prepared to give out his command, he never got the chance to, as the Sandslash continued running forward.

It ran off the make-do battlefield, and made a direct beeline for Red. Before Red, Saur or the unnamed opponent could react, the Sandslash leapt upwards, pinned his claws into Red's shirt, and swiped in three straight, diagonal lines. The unnamed opponent called his Sandslash back, panicked for several minutes, and ran towards Johto, leaving Red behind.

In those minutes, Red pressed his right hand against his stomach, glanced down at it, and saw blood. Fatigue hit him quickly, and he collapsed onto the ground. He remained conscious for a few moments, possibly due to the fear that if he fell asleep in this condition, he'd never wake up. Eventually, he grew drowsy and ended up falling unconscious, regardless of what he wanted. He bled out quickly, forming a crimson pool in the dirt beneath him. Approximately ten minutes after the battle had been cut off, Red died, still trying to comprehend exactly what had happened to him.

His body was discovered an hour later, along with his Pokemon, and a Sandslash with bloody claws. Green had been contacted within thirty minutes of the horrific discovery, where he kept in close check with everything that happened from that point onwards. Even though he was in complete shock and denial, he decided that he'd only feel the slightest bit better once he found out all the facts.

They weren't able to identify who the Sandslash belonged to, as its Pokeball had been taken with Red's opponent. However, they did discover that the Sandslash had remarkably poor eyesight, making it highly likely that it couldn't make out who it was supposed to be attacking. The Sandslash had been put down, and Red's death was declared to be a freak accident. After that point, Green fell out of contact with the police, unsure of whether or not they'd still try to pursue Red's last opponent.

That week had been incredibly tough for all of the Dexholders, but Green prided himself on being reasonably collected. While he was questioned about his behaviour a few times, he just add up an excuse, but all that was keeping him going was the comfort in the fact that he had a chance of finding Red again. That hope had been the only thing that kept him falling apart for the past month.

And now, that hope had become a reality, as Red was staring at him curiously. As Green snapped out of his thoughts, he jumped back a little once he saw that Red had moved closer towards him.

"Did you hear me?" Red asked. Green looked at him with a confused expression, realizing he didn't hear anything.

"No."

"I just asked you what date it was, and how the others are doing. I've been out of touch with the world for a while", Red said, sounding a little awkward. Green knew it must've been a strange question to ask, and realized that Red mightn't have been as adjusted to referring to himself as deceased as he previously thought.

Green decided to start with the latter, and took a moment to run through the faces of all the Dexholders, trying to recall when he last saw them all. He started with the Kalos kids, and slowly made up the list. Red listened intently, looking genuinely interested in hearing all about what they had been doing, even if he didn't know some of them that well.

Eventually, Green made his way up to Yellow and Blue. It took some improvising to leave out the argument with Blue, while still keeping things as honest as possible. As he finished speaking, he noticed that Red had an unreadable expression, but it couldn't be taken as a look of joy.

"What's wrong?" Green questioned.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Out of curiosity, is something going on between you and Blue?" Red asked, sounding hesitant about his question.

Green felt his confusion grow for a second, but when it clicked, he almost felt like laughing. His abridged version of Blue's visits could easily be taken as the signs of a budding romance, but any thoughts of beginning a relationship with Blue never crossed Green's mind, especially in the past few weeks.

"What?! Of course not. I never invited her over to pester me. There's nothing going on between us", Green scoffed. He realized that he was beginning to talk to Red with slightly more ease, much to his own relief.

Red's unreadable expression was replaced with a content one, and he mumbled something to say he understood. _Wait, was that jealousy?,_ Green thought for a moment as he watched Red's expression change. He shook away the thought as quickly as it came, considering it as ridiculous as Red thinking there was something between him and Blue.

Even if he was uncertain of Red's feelings, Green was certain of his own. He never questioned that Red solely saw him as his best friend, but he did question his own feelings. For a few years, he realized that he felt more than friendly admiration for the boy. He never dwelled too much on it, and pushed aside those thoughts quickly at first. Eventually, he began to accept it, and his feelings for Red became as much a part of him as his sixth sense.

While he did feel some level of regret for never bringing it up, Green knew that he would have never taken the opportunity to tell him. As long as Red remained his close friend, that was enough for him. His romantic feelings felt more hidden, and he didn't attempt to analyze whether or not they played any part in his determination to find Red's ghost. All he knew was that his motivation was certainly determined by how much he cared for Red, regardless of it being friendly or romantic.

Now that Red was here, Green realized he had much more pressing questions than whether or not those feelings were mutual. He decided to finally start bringing up those questions.

"Red, didn't you say you got Charizard to fly me back here?" Green questioned.

Red nodded, causing Green to narrow his eyes. Ever since he had woken up, questions about Red's story had been building up, and he decided that he needed to clear up any concerns he had.

"I put him in his Pokeball before I visited you. How did you get him back out? He's not here, either, so he must be back in his ball", he quizzed, and then after pausing, "Are you capable of touching objects? I can't see how else you were able to open a Pokeball."

"Yeah! Usually my hands go right through stuff, but if I concentrate enough, I can touch them. I've been practicing on... Um..." Red trailed off, looking at his feet for a moment, and then continued quietly, "On gravestones, and stuff like that. I haven't been able to lift those, though, so I was pretty happy to see I was able to lift Charizard's ball!"

Green could see, as each moment passed, that Red was still struggling with referring to anything surrounding death. He felt a small nagging voice in his head telling him to leave questions like those for another day, but before he could make any decision, Red spoke up once more.

"I've gotten used to holding objects. Wanna see?" he offered, sounding rather excited, but then had a moment of realization, "Or would it freak you out too much?"

Green briskly nodded, hoping to get rid of the notion that he was scared of what Red was capable of. Red made his way toward the couch, and for the first time, Green noticed that he didn't have to move his legs at all. Instead of walking, he seemed to hover, with his feet always slightly above the floor. He forced himself not to concentrate too much on it; as far as he was concerned, it was just another feature of Red's new lifestyle.

Red stopped directly in front of the couch, and put his hands out in front of him. He curled his transparent fingers around a cushion. Then, he furrowed his brows and stared directly at the object. After thirty seconds had passed, Green was tempted to tell him there was no point in trying so hard, but before he could speak up, something finally happened.

Red's jaw dropped slightly, and then he grinned. Lifting the cushion off the couch, Green felt the same kind of surprise Red felt. He raised the cushion in front of him at an arm's length, and turned towards Green. There was a triumphant grin on his face, clearly delighted at the achievement of holding a pillow.

"See?! I know it takes a while to do, but I'm still able to hold things!" Red cried out, and then calmed down upon making eye contact with Green. "You seem to be getting used to what I'm able to do. That's a relief!"

Green attempted to show that he was impressed by what Red was capable of doing, but after his last comment, found himself distracted once more. He knew that tiptoeing around how much he was capable of seeing Red do as a ghost wouldn't only become troublesome and tedious after a while.

"I _am_ used to seeing ghosts and what they're able to do. It's just taking me a while to adjust that you're able to do it too now", he explained simply, knowing there would be questions to follow.

"Wait, you've been able to see ghosts before?" Red asked quietly, sounding surprised. Due to having his concentration diverted, the cushion fell to the floor, forgotten about.

"Yeah. As I said, the only reason I got so freaked out is because it's you."

" _What?!_ How come you never told us?! You can't just _hide_ that you can see ghosts!" he cried out.

"The topic never came up", Green replied, shrugging lightly. He could almost see Red's mind trying to form a coherent reply.

"How does that even come up as a topic?! You should've-"

"You know now, don't you? Arguing about what I didn't tell you in the past is ridiculous. We can talk to each other, and that's the most important thing right now", Green cut him off, keeping his tone calm.

Red looked as if he was contemplating arguing back, but almost against his will, a small, relieved smile formed. For a moment, Green considered pressing him on that, becoming curious about how lonely he had been throughout the previous month.

Before he could ask anything, he yawned, and wiped a hand across his eyes. He glanced up at the clock, and raised his eyebrows; it was already approaching one in the morning. Even though he wanted nothing more than to keep talking to Red, Green knew that if he didn't sleep soon, he'd end up falling down on the spot for the second time that night.

"It's late, so I'm going to bed", he told Red, and then thought of something else to add, "Are you going to be here tomorrow morning?"

Red ran a hand through his hair, and laughed a little awkwardly. Then, he looked at Green with a hint of sadness in his eyes, causing him to become curious about his decision.

"I want to stay, if that's okay. Being in that graveyard was lonely, and I really like being able to have conversations again. You're not gonna kick me out, right?" he asked, growing slightly worried.

"I wasn't planning on it. I'll talk to you when I wake up tomorrow", Green mumbled, trying to keep his tone nonchalant. Although he wouldn't let on, he felt immensely relieved that Red wasn't on planning on wandering away to unknown places during the night.

As he began to walk his room, he still felt a ghostly presence behind him. Turning on his heel, Green realized Red had been trailing after him. The ghost froze, and then realized that his friend wanted an explanation.

"Hey, you never answered my question about the date. I've been out of touch for a while, remember?" Red reminded him, sounding slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, right. It's July nineteenth", Green replied, not understanding why that was one of Red's top questions.

He only became more confused once he saw Red's expression become excited once more. Green felt that he was getting far too enthusiastic over the smallest things. Moments later, Red made it clear why he was thrilled to hear it was the nineteenth.

"Hey, it's Gold's birthday soon! Are you going to visit him? I'm certain he's going to invite everyone", Red told him, grinning.

"I'll consider it", Green muttered. The truth was that in all that had happened, he had completely forgotten about upcoming birthdays. Even so, he wasn't all that keen on going in the first place.

"Please? I want to go as well. Everyone'll be happy to see you!" he pleaded.

Green paused for a moment, and sighed. He decided that being as stubborn around Red as he was before would feel wrong. Considering they were freshly reunited, he didn't want to start an argument. Besides, going to a party might get Blue off his case for a while.

"Alright, I'll go. In case you haven't noticed, it's getting late, so I'll talk to you tomorrow", he finally said.

Red smiled brightly once more and nodded, pleased by his answer. As Green entered his room, he left the door slightly ajar, and saw Red was still loitering in the hallway. He didn't dwell much on it as he prepared to finally get some sleep. As he did, he realized that he didn't particularly mind giving into Red's requests anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope that turned out okay! I'm going with the same kind of format for Green's feelings as I did in my other AU, but I do find it fitting. I'll get to work on the next chapter soon enough, and hopefully have it uploaded before the weekend!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I didn't update sooner! I've been caught up in RL obligations, and reading! Fittingly, though, I managed to get this chapter up on Gold's birthday, so it works out, I guess!
> 
> Enjoy reading, and please leave feedback, if you can! :)

Over the following two days, Green and Red became used to each other once more. Green felt more at ease when it came to talking, and was finally getting over the initial shock that he was able to talk to his deceased friend once more. Red had become less reserved about using his abilities around Green, once it began to sink in that the boy had seen ghosts before. However, Green had yet to decide whether this newfound nonchalant attitude about it was a positive or not, as the ghost was quickly returning to his old ways, and was losing any qualms about what he should and shouldn't do around Green.

On the twenty-first, Red had woken him up as early as possible, unable to hold back how eager he was about seeing the other Dexholders again. While his excitement was tiring, and a little irritating, Green decided not to comment on it. He had a more pressing worry; whether or not Red knew that he'd be invisible to everyone else at the party. He was completely unnoticed by the shopkeeper the day before, when Green was gift hunting, but it didn't do much to soothe his mind. The ignorance of others could have been completely unnoticed by Red.

Nevertheless, he made no comments on it. Instead, he traveled over to Johto with Red in tow, who asked various questions about the Dexholders as they made their way over. Green answered the questions absentmindedly.

As he came closer to Johto, he found himself feeling mixed emotions about meeting with all the other Dexholders for the first time in a month. He had no doubts that they would be in high spirits, but he had no idea how he would manage being around hyper kids, as well as a hyper ghost. Overall, he realized he had no idea how he was going to handle the possible events of the day.

While Green had been contemplating how he would handle being around so many energetic people and attempt to keep the ghost beside him quiet, Red was still jabbering away about every little thing that crossed his mind. Truthfully, he was speaking so much to keep his drives at bay. It would also be a first for him to be around more than one Dexholders since his death. While a part of him nervous, he was mainly giddy. Ever since Green found him, Red felt like his happiness was steadily increasing once more.

He still couldn't shake those inexplicable feelings of nervousness, though.

"Do you think any of them will have any idea I'm here?" Red asked quietly, after a moment of hesitation. He had thought about it himself, but figured Green would know more on the subject, considering he was familiar with seeing other ghosts.

It took a while for Green to reply, as he mulled over the answer. He figured these types of questions had been in Red's mind for quite some time now. There was still a lot he had yet to elaborate on, mainly because he wasn't fully certain of what his powers entailed. However, he had no troubles answering the question that was imposed on him.

"No, I'm almost certain they won't. Every living person I've ever seen has ignored ghosts, Dexholders included. If you're still trying to adjust to that fact, then it might be better if we went home. You _did_ know that the others can't see you, right?" he told him, wanting to make sure that point was established well and clear.

"I thought so. I mean... I've seen people ignore me already, but I just wanted to see if you knew anyone else with the same power as you", Red said, not sounding particularly upset.

As they approached Gold's house, Green stopped in his tracks and glanced up at Red to read his expression. To his relief, he saw that he was still wearing the content expression he had on the journey over to Johto. Upon noticing that Green was staring at him, Red decided to continue speaking.

"I know what you're thinking, and I'm okay. You can see me! That's more than enough to make me happy!" he said, grinning. Green was struck silent for a moment.

"If you say so", he muttered, unable to bring his voice to a conversational tone.

Of course, he knew that Red was merely happy that someone was able to see him after a month of being invisible to everyone. However, it was still enough to cause Green to feel what he had been trying to forget about over the past two days. _This is ridiculous. I’m overthinking this_ , he thought, and quickly tried to forget that comment. Unfortunately, his attempt was useless, as he could feel his cheeks begin to burn up. _This is the last thing I need!_

“Green? You okay?” Red asked, leaning over to get a look at his face. Green quickly turned his head to the side, cursing internally. He continued walking at a faster pace.

“Yeah. I don’t know if you can tell, but it’s a warm day”, he replied snappily, hoping to avert the subject. The longer they spent dwelling on it, the more awkward things would become. Before Red could reply, though, another voice piped up.

“You call _this_ hot?!” Emerald cried out, poking his head between the gaps of the gate leading into Gold’s back garden. 

For a moment, Green tensed up, beginning to wonder whether or not Emerald heard everything he said. If so, it would be blatantly obvious that he was talking to someone, which he wanted to avoid at all costs. Judging by the lack of suspicion Emerald showed, it was safe to assume he only picked up on the last part.

“Hey, who’s that?!” Gold shouted, out of view.

He jogged up to the gate, peeking out above Emerald. At first, an expression of surprise crossed his face, causing Red to flinch. But then, as Gold’s eyes fell on the gift bag Green was holding, he smiled once more, returning to his relaxed posture. 

“Blue said you weren’t coming. I knew you couldn’t stay away from me!” Gold snickered, still staring at the bag. “What did you get?”

Red relaxed too, realizing that Gold was only initially surprised to see Green arrive. That relaxation came with a hint of disappointment, but he told himself that everyone would be like this. It was merely something he had to get adjusted to. Besides, he was grateful to just be around his friends once more, even if they didn’t know he was there. He decided not to get too hung up on that fact.

For the first time, Green was paying no attention to Red. To start, he watched as Emerald snorted at Gold’s behaviour, and then ran off to rejoin the others. He was busy watching Gold with an annoyed expression, already knowing it was going to be a long day. He held the bag out in front of him, Gold still watching it with intent. Letting out a small, annoyed sigh, he began to speak.

“First of all, I can easily stay away from you, and the only reason I’m here is because it’s your birthday. Second, if you want your present, you’re going to have to open the gate. I don’t plan on standing out here all day”, Green told him.

“Huh? Oh, right. One second.”

Green took a step back as Gold placed his hands on the sturdy latch, and pulled it to his right. It resulted in a screeching that was painful to their ears, even causing Red to wince. Then, he pulled the gate towards him, allowing room for Green to enter. He stepped briskly through the gate, and into the back garden, where several of his juniors were standing around and chatting. They all appeared to enjoying themselves, mixing and mingling with Dexholders from other regions.

He quickly looked away from the scene, and at Red. Any amusement he had gotten from Gold’s and Green’s brief conversation appeared to be put behind him, as he gazed out at his juniors. At first, Red watched them with awe, astounded to see them all again for the first time in over a month. This awed expression was replaced by one of joy, as a smile reappeared on his face. One of his top priorities was seeing the people he cared about happy, and having confirmed this for himself, it temporarily made him forget about the worries that previously bothered him.

“What’cha looking at?” Gold asked, standing much closer than Green previously recalled. He flinched, and took a step backwards, startling Red. He stopped staring at the crowd and focused his attention on the startled boy.

“Hey, be careful!” he scolded, still sounding a little surprised. Choosing to ignore him, Green faced Gold.

“Nothing, I was just thinking. Here”, he said, and thrust the bag into Gold’s arms. 

He grinned, and looked inside the gift bag, ready to take out his present and get a closer look, when Green’s attention was, once again, diverted. He spared another glance at Red, and saw to his dismay, that he was hovering towards the crowd. While Green was certain that nothing bad would happen, he felt anxious about letting Red out of his sight for too long.

“Happy birthday. Make good use of that”, Green said to Gold distractedly, before hurriedly walking into the crowd. Gold made a brief protest for Green to wait, but didn’t make much of an effort to follow, as he was quickly distracted by another guest showing up at the gate.

It didn’t take long for Green to catch up with Red, as he was traveling at a slow pace. A few of his juniors expressed surprise at seeing Green for the first time in a month, but he waved off their greetings quickly. However, upon hearing his voice again, Red turned around, his eyebrows arched slightly. When their eyes met, he appeared to be a little embarrassed.

“Sorry, I got pretty distracted. It’s just been so long since I’ve seen so many people here, you know?” Red explained.

Green shrugged, trying to keep his action subtle. He wanted to avoid speaking as much as possible while they were out in public, to avoid arousing suspicion. While it was difficult to convey his messages to Red at times, most of the time there wasn’t any trouble in communicating. Luckily, this was one of those times, as Red calmed down upon seeing that there wasn’t any trouble between them.

“You haven’t seen Yellow or Blue yet? I wanted to see how they’re doing too”, Red asked. Green quickly shook his head.

For a moment, Red’s face lit up as if he had an idea, but this was quickly replaced by an expression of uncertainty. Raising his own eyebrows, Green folded his arms across his chest, waiting to hear Red’s idea, and his possible concerns with whatever he had come up with.

“Umm... I was going to suggest looking for them, but we literally just arrived. I was excited about seeing Gold too, and I don’t know about abandoning him on his birthday”, Red said, making his dilemma known.

If it was up to Green, he would have taken up Red’s suggestion and left the party as soon as the idea entered his mind, regardless of his awkward relations with Blue at the time. He already found the enthusiastic presence of his juniors to be tiring, and wouldn’t have minded an excuse to leave early. However, Red’s dilemma was solved before Green could suggest anything.

“Yo! Why’d you run off all of a sudden?” Gold called out, catching up with Green after a few seconds.

The newer guests were preoccupied with conversations started by other guests, giving Gold another opportunity to talk to his senior. At first, Green felt a little irritated and confused as to why the boy was so persistent on talking to him, but then he remembered that he had stayed out of touch for over a month. Even though Gold would never admit it, there was clearly some concern involved in his stubbornness. Because of that, Green decided to give him a chance.

“I wanted to get a proper look at who you invited. You got your gift, so what else do you want?” Green muttered, glancing occasionally over his shoulder at Red, who was listening to their conversation intently.

“Come on, isn’t it just nice for a host to check on his guests?”

“You’re not fooling anyone.”

“Alright, you got me. It’s just been forever since I saw you, man. I almost began to believe what Blue said about you not showing up!” Gold explained, trying to keep his tone casual. 

“Well, I’m here now”, Green muttered, not really up to riling up Gold. Instead, he concentrated on a question that concerned Red, “Have Blue and Yellow shown up yet?”

Upon mentioning their names, Gold scowled, and for a moment, Green thought he had been right in his assumption. However, he was quickly proven wrong.

“Yeah, they’re both cooped up inside. I haven’t seen them in hours! You’re not going in there yet, or else I won’t see you for the rest of the day. If you don’t want to talk to me, at least try talking to the others. They’ve been worried about you”, Gold instructed, still trying to sound nonchalant.

“Alright. Talk to you later.”

Just before Green turned on his heel, he saw shock and offense on Gold’s face, not expecting him to be so blatant about no longer wanting to talk to him. Red continued looking at Gold for a few moments, and then followed Green, frowning slightly.

“You could’ve been less blunt about that...” Red muttered, running his fingers through his hair. 

“I wouldn’t see any reason in that”, Green quickly replied, barely raising his voice above a whisper. The ghost beside him sighed, but changed the subject.

“What are we doing, anyway? Are we going inside or should we talk to the others out here?” he asked, looking around at the others, who were chatting away freely.

“I don’t know yet. It’ll be easier just to go inside and find them, if that’s who you want to talk to.”

Red looked around uncertainly, unsure of what he wanted to do. In truth, it didn’t make a difference to him, as he wouldn’t be the one interacting with anyone. He was mostly curious about Blue and Yellow, but he didn’t want to abandon his juniors either. 

“Umm... It’s your decision, I guess-”

“Hey, Green!”

Coming to a stop, Red turned around, alongside Green, to who had called. When they turned around, they saw that Pearl was striding over towards him, Platinum was following at a calmer pace behind. Both boys were confused at Pearl’s determined expression. Red felt twinges of excitement, while Green could have sworn he felt a headache coming on.

“We need to talk to you!” Pearl called out, even though he was coming into close vicinity of Green.

“What’s going on with you and Pearl?” Red asked curiously, wondering if there was something Green had neglected to mention about what was currently going on. The other boy gave his head a quick shake, to indicate he didn't have time to talk to Red at that moment. The ghost frowned, but stood there quietly and merely watched the scene in front of him.

Pearl eventually came face to face with his senior, and then craned his head to see if Platinum was still keeping up. She hurried over to his side, looking much calmer than him, and if anything, a little embarrassed. Nevertheless, she still smiled politely at Green, giving no indication as to what they wanted. He looked down at the two trainers suspiciously, trying to think of what they could possibly want, but couldn't come up with anything.

"Don't just stare at me all day. What do you want?" he asked impatiently. Pearl shrunk a little, feeling intimidated. He scowled and begun to speak.

"Well, it's Missy that wants something from you", he said, and turned towards his friend, "Don't you? Go on."

Platinum leapt slightly after being called upon, but quickly regained her composure. She glanced at Pearl, and raised her eyebrows. Getting the message, he stepped aside, allowing Platinum to face her senior instead.

"Many of the gym leaders from Sinnoh have offered me rematches, but I need to prepare my Pokemon to battle them. I wish to train somewhere adequate. While I'm staying in this region, I would like to use your gym. There would be no better place for battle preparation!" she requested.

Looking down at her, Green felt a little surprised by her request. Given how nervous Pearl had become, he had expected a much larger request. However, since Red's return, he hadn't felt as pushed to take care of his gym, and he never enjoyed being a babysitter. He knew that rejecting Platinum's request on such petty grounds would lead to further arguments from the duo, and possibly Red for shirking his gym duties. The last thing he needed was a fight, but before he could answer, another voice piped up.

"Oi, I asked you about trainin' at your gym ages ago, and you tol' me no! If she's trainin', so am I!" Sapphire yelled, striding over towards them. Ruby reached out one hand to stop her, but Emerald shook his head at him, indicating it was pointless.

Green glanced at his juniors, who were all staring up at him expectantly for permission. Beside him, he heard a snicker. He glanced up at Red, who was grinning at the scene in front of him. Once Red glanced down at him, his expression became mischievous. All at once, Green realized that no one was on his side. The feeling of an impending headache became stronger.

"Well, then I wish to extend my request. I would prefer to have any Dexholder to use the gym as they please, so how about that? We can have group training sessions", Platinum suggested, looking between Sapphire and Green.

"Huh, didn't think of that. How 'bout it?" Sapphire pleaded.

"My gym is supposed to be used for official battles, not a training ground for anyone who wishes-"

"They just want to train there when it's quiet!" Pearl protested.

"C'mon! Why're you so stubborn?!" Sapphire groaned.

Around them, the other Dexholders were beginning to pay attention, with the exception of a few. Green could hear a few people in the crowd mutter about how they'd enjoy a good spot to train while they were visiting Kanto and Johto. Any hopes of getting out of being a babysitter for his juniors were quickly vanishing.

"Sapphire's right. Don't be so stubborn, you know you can trust them!" Red piped up, looking around at the people protesting. Green glared up at him, but didn't take the opportunity to argue back.

"I'm not being stubborn, I'm being honest. Give me time to think it over, at the very least-"

"We're going back to Sinnoh in less than two weeks!" Platinum cried out.

"They all sound upset. Can't you be a little nicer?" Red added, frowning. He then hovered down to Green's level, causing the boy to look at him suspiciously.

Around him, the others were arguing against him, but none of their arguments were heated. They managed to pause every few seconds to give someone else the opportunity to speak, which would have given Green the opportunity to clear his head. However, due to one certain exception, he never got that chance.

As they argued, Green heard one voice constantly attempting to bug him, his mouth right beside his ear. Of course he figured that Red would side with his juniors on the matter of using the gym, but his friend's persistence was still annoying.

" _Greeeeeen,_ listen to them. You know they're making good points, don't disappoint them-" Red dragged on, coming up with as many arguments as he could.

"We won't cause any trouble, I promise", Platinum reasoned, her tone still calm.

"See? Come on, give them a chance-"

" _Fine!_ Any of you can use it, I don't care, as long as you shut up!" Green finally snapped, causing the three protestors to jump back.

They looked on confusedly at him for a moment, but their daunted attitudes were quickly replaced, as they realized they had finally gotten past Green's stubbornness. Platinum thanked him on their behalf, and began chatting excitedly with Pearl about letting Diamond know. With that, they walked back into the festivities of the party.

Green was thankful that none of them seemed to pay much attention to his sudden snapping, but he still turned to Red. For a moment, he just looked at Green, surprised to receive a harsh glare, but then turned back towards the trio who just walked away. He was smiling just as triumphantly as they were, and Green realized that he had wanted to do something to help out their juniors.

That didn't make him any less annoyed, however. He couldn't tell if Red annoyed him so much due to the fact that he was getting more comfortable around him, or if he was simply growing more annoying by spending time around Gold once more. _All the more reason to get out of here as soon as possible,_ he thought, scowling.

"Hey, Prez! What's going on?! You're getting distracted!"

Black's voice snapped Green out of his annoyed thoughts. When he looked up, he saw that White had been watching the argument over the gym. Upon being called, she turned back towards the boy who called her. It was only then that Green noticed Black and White were secluded from the rest of the party, which was unusual for them.

Before he could become suspicious of them, he realized that Black's team was surrounding him, a few of whom were practicing certain moves. Upon having White's attention back on him, Black resumed practicing moves, only causing Green to become more curious. He wasn't the only curious one, though.

"What's he doing?" Red muttered, but before Green could reply, he began to move towards them, wanting to get a closer look.

Sighing, Green walked at a quick pace in an attempt to keep up with Red. He knew that he'd act exactly like this once he was around all the other Dexholders again, but it was still tiring. Thankfully, he came to a stop after a few seconds. White was right in front of him, and upon hearing someone approach, she looked over her shoulder. Green took a step to his left and forward to stand next to her.

"Oh, hello! I heard your discussion with Platinum and Sapphire earlier", White greeted him, and then laughed lightly. Red laughed too, but quickly quiet ended when he met Green's stare.

"I don't think 'discussion' is the right word. It was more like being yelled at children for a solid five minutes", he grumbled, and changed the subject before she could comment, "What's Black doing? He's as loud as ever."

"You didn't hear? Black wants to try challenging the League in Unova again. He thinks he's ready, and I think so too, but he's determined to train up as much as possible before his challenge. He never knows when to rest", White explained, sounding full of admiration.

Green briefly looked out at Black, who was hellbent on his training. He didn't even seem to notice that anyone else had arrived to watch him. Instead of replying to White, Green turned to Red, who was glancing between him and Black. He looked impressed upon hearing White's news, considering they had both made it into the Pokemon League before. So far, Red was the only Dexholder to become Champion, so he was naturally excited at the prospect of seeing one of his juniors gain the same achievement.

"So, after hearing your agreement, I was hoping Black could use your gym too- Are you listening?" White asked, and waved a hand in front of Green's face.

Due to the fact she was unable to see Red, who was standing right next to Green, her hand passed through the side of his head. Green watched with slight amusement as Red shuddered, and looked as if he had eaten something bitter. It didn't appear to cause him any pain, so there was no need for concern. He quickly brought his attention away from Red and back to White, realizing she was waiting for an answer.

"As long as he doesn't destroy my gym. It'll probably be best if you went with him", he suggested, noting the unruly boy with concern.

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to", White agreed, but before she could say anything else, her attention was brought back to Black.

"Did you see what Musha did?! Watch!" he called out enthusiastically to White, pointing to his psychic Pokemon.

As she requested to see it again, Green took that as his cue to leave. Red watched the scene for an extra few seconds, but quickly began to move once he noticed Green was walking once more. He frowned a little upon seeing that Green was making a beeline towards the door to Gold's house.

"We're already going in?" Red asked.

"Gold asked me to talk with his other guests, and I did. I want to get inside before we have another repeat of the gym argument", he whispered, unable to keep irritation out of his voice. Red felt a little awkward upon being reminded of his intentional annoyance, but didn't appear to regret it.

Nobody attempted to stop Green from going inside, much to his relief. As he passed through the kitchen and into the living room, he realized that the atmosphere had become much quieter. The majority of guests were out in the back garden, while there appeared to be less than ten in the living room.

Proteam Omega was playing on the television, which explained why Gold made no effort to go into the living room. The shades were drawn, allowing the screen to be seen with more clarity. Diamond was sitting on the floor, cheering on the protagonist. On his left was X, who was staring up at the show silently. On his right, Silver was doing similar, but Green's attention was quickly brought to the person beside him.

Blue was by his side, barely paying attention to the show. She was keeping an eye on Silver, but after seeing who entered the room, she stared at the television instead, a look of annoyance crossing her face. Silver glanced at her, and then looked up to see who caused her sudden drop in mood. Once he saw Green, his look soured, and he quickly turned back towards the television too.

_Great. Of course she told him,_ he thought, repressing the urge to roll his eyes. Red frowned at Blue's display of coldness, and looked like he was about to question it, when Green quickly shook his head. Discussions about Blue and their rocky friendship as of late could come at a different time.

"Green?" a voice spoke up softly.

Caught off guard, Green looked at the couch, where one person was sitting. Yellow was sitting there, watching him with wide eyes. She looked a little reproachful, but thankfully, she didn't want to ignore him. Her hands were wrapped around something that was sitting on her lap. His own eyes widened when he realized it was a Pikachu, and having spent many years around it, there was no mistaking that it was Pika.

After Red's death, Professor Oak had taken in his Pokemon, but Yellow had specifically requested to take care of Pika, and there weren't any objections. Green had a few questions as to why the rodent was at Gold's party, but before he could speak, Red beat him to it.

"Pika! Yellow's taking care of him!" he cried out happily, and hovered down towards them. He knelt down in front of Pika, who was still staring over at Green.

He raised a hand in greeting, not particularly pushed about speaking up. Yellow patted the empty seat on the couch next to her, offering for him to sit down. Accepting it, Green walked over to the couch, sat down, and glanced at Red, who was still calling Pika's name, hoping to get his attention.

"How have you been? Blue told me you didn't seem all that great a few days ago", Yellow asked him politely. He knew it was a nice way of saying that Green had been completely unreasonable and cruel, according to Blue.

"I'm fine. That should be obvious, considering I showed up", he answered simply.

They fell back into a silent lull. Diamond was still occasionally letting out a cry at the television, and Red was still attempting to get Pika's attention. His initial happiness was quickly disappearing from his tone, concerning Green. Before he could think about what to do, Yellow spoke once more.

"I know Blue's angry at you now, but she'll come around. If I'm right about why you were avoiding us, please know that I understand. It must have been difficult to come out here, but at least you made an effort..." Yellow told him, keeping her voice quiet enough just for him to hear. She looked down at Pika, biting her lip. "It's tough. I still don't know if we're getting through it the right way, but it's still so tough."

"I'll try to make an effort. You know he'd be angry if we just gave up on everything. The best thing to do is to just take everything in our stride", Green mumbled, unsure of what to say. He was completely focused on the very person they were discussing. He found it difficult to discuss mourning his deceased best friend when he was right there in front of him.

At that moment, he didn't feel any ecstasy or relief at that fact. Pika's attention had been focused on the television, which Red's head should have been blocking. The rodent saw right through him, and continued staring at the flashing colors from the show.

"Green, what's going on? Pika's completely ignoring me!" Red cried. He looked at the boy pleadingly, but didn't respond. The ghost frowned at him for a moment, and then laid a hand on Pika's head, continuing to call his name in an attempt to get his attention.

"You're right. I'll do my best, and I hope you do, too. But please remember I'm here to talk to you if it's too much. I might need you there for me sometimes too, if that's okay. We can both look out for each other if you want", Yellow suggested, her tone gentle.

"I'll consider it. I do mean it when I say I've been doing fine recently-" Green began, but was cut off.

"Why are you ignoring me?! This doesn't make any sense!"

All of a sudden, Pika let out a loud screech, and rebounded back as far as he could go in Yellow's arms. She let out a small cry as well, and jumped back. She stared down in terror at a vacant space, but to Green, the vacant space was occupied by a terrified-looking Red.

"What was that about?!" Green hissed at Red. He was too stunned to reply, and continued staring up at his dazed Pokemon.

It was enough to distract all those sitting on the floor. Diamond and X looked up with nervous curiosity, while Silver looked around briefly to see if there was a particular enemy in the room. Blue quickly leapt to her feet, and wedged herself between Green and Yellow, laying her hands on the girl's arms.

"Are you okay?!" she questioned. Yellow stared down at her lap, her brows furrowed, but she nodded.

"Yeah, I just felt something really weird... It was like something fell on my lap, and Pika's reaction made me jumpy. Sorry, I didn't mean to make a big stir."

After hearing Yellow's explanation, Green turned to Red. He had seen how Red had his elbows perched on Yellow's lap as he petted Pika, and given the Pokemon's reaction, it was safe to assume Red had some part to play in it. While he looked up guiltily at Green, the other boy stood up suddenly.

"I'll be back soon", he said clearly, and began to walk out of the room.

Red took that as his cue to follow. He watched Yellow worriedly for an extra few seconds, and then followed his friend out of the room. His mood had changed drastically, and he found himself dreading any lecture Green had prepared for him.

As Green entered the bathroom, he waited for Red to hover through. Then, he locked the door, and faced his friend. Red had trouble telling if he was angry, confused or upset. Before he could try and put a finger on it, Green began to speak.

"What happened back there?! Did you really focus on regaining your sense of touch?" he demanded to know, sounding more confused than anything else.

"I don't know what happened! I didn't try focusing or anything. I just got upset, and before I knew it, I was able to properly pet him again. I didn't mean to, really!" Red explained quickly and apologetically. That caused Green to calm down a little, but he still looked at Red with caution.

"I thought you said you had to put concentration into touching anything. How were you able to do that?"

"If I knew that would happen, I wouldn't have done it. As I said, I just got really upset."

Green paused for a moment, considering his words. He knew that Red would never attempt to scare Pika on purpose, so it was easy to take his explanation as he heard it. Another clear thing was that they both just learnt another way to touch objects; to feel a sudden intensity of certain emotions. Green suggested this to Red, who nodded slowly.

"That makes sense, I guess... I really am sorry, though. I was having a great time, and I didn't mean to get so upset. But there's something I still don't understand; why wasn't he able to see me? Your Charizard was able to see me. I thought ghost-seeing was a universal thing."

Seeing that Red was getting visibly upset again, Green tried to figure out how to explain it without worsening his mood. He was certain that Red had accepted not being seen by Pokemon as easily as he accepted not being seen by humans, but there was still a lot he had to learn, by the looks of things.

"Back then, Charizard was possessed by ghosts as well. Don't you remember that? He has the same powers as me, and that doesn't apply to every Pokemon. Pika has as much trouble seeing you as every human at that party does. I thought you already knew that", he said, his voice losing its previous edge.

"I know, I really should have guessed, but I just got overly hopeful. It's going to take a while for me to get used to everyone ignoring me all the time", Red murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'll get used to it someday. But just for now, I don't know if I can accept it."

He looked down at the floor. Seeing Red in such a sullen mood concerned Green, but it helped him reach a definitive decision for the first time that day. The only reason he came to this party in the first place was for Red's sake, and be only stayed as long as he did to check up on his friends. Since all that was done, there wasn't any real reason to hang around.

Hearing Green walk towards him, Red quickly moved out of the way, and watched as the door was unlocked once more. Green stepped out into the hallway, turned around, and beckoned for Red to follow. Aw they walked out, Kris came into view, carrying an empty plate. She smiled upon seeing her senior, but didn't get a chance to speak.

"I just got a call, and there's someone who wants to challenge me. Tell Gold I left. See you around, Kris", he said briskly, brushing past her. She stared on in confusion for a few moments, before walking out at a slower pace to the kitchen.

"Wait, we're already leaving? You know I'd be happy to stay if you wanted to. Don't worry about what happened a few minutes ago!" Red called out, sounding guilty. While Green was leaving because of him, he hardly saw any reason to get mad at him for it.

"All I've wanted was to leave, so thank you. Come on", he whispered, to avoid being heard by anyone else.

Red followed uncertainly, unsure if he was really telling the truth. Green walked a few steps ahead of him, finally leaving the party. He wasn't sure where he wanted to go for the rest of the day, but he decided that he was content with anywhere that was quiet.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I'm so sorry about the late update! I wish I had a good excuse, but I was just concentrating on other hobbies too much. I can't promise updates will get quicker, but I'm still hoping to have this finished before September!
> 
> Second of all, I'm so sorry in advance about the length. I might have gotten carried away.

After leaving the party, the trip back to Kanto had been a silent one. Green reckoned that it would take a while for Red's mood to pick up once more after the Pika incident, but it was still concerning to see him so quiet. Still, it felt necessary to establish all that Red was capable and incapable of doing. He knew it'd take a while for him to adjust, but Green decided he'd try to be as patient as possible.

While walking through Viridian City, he stopped off in a grocery store. After picking up various types of food, he could see that Red was growing curious once more. Green had only decided to stop in the store on a whim, but after purchasing food, he finally decided on what to do after re-entering Kanto. As he left the store, he could see Red peeking into the bag of groceries, trying to figure out what he was planning.

"Where are we going?" he finally asked as they left the store. Since he had been quiet for the last hour or so, it was a relief to hear him speak again.

"Viridian Forest. It should be quiet enough there today. I don't feel like going home yet", Green replied, walking in a northerly direction.

"And what's the food for?"

"I didn't eat anything at the party."

Nodding, Red pressed his lips together and continued to follow Green. As they left the city, the path led into a wild trail with winding trees. Sunlight filtered down through the leaves, providing plenty of shade from the warm day. The grass seemed longer than ever, and with no one around, the area didn't have the homeliest feeling.

They traveled deeper into the forest in silence. Green glanced around, looking for anywhere they could sit. He occasionally glanced at Red for any input, but he had no opinions to offer. Eventually, he decided to sit underneath one of the many trees in the southern part of the forest, giving him easy access back to Viridian City. As he opened up the plastic bag containing food, Red lowered himself to Green's level, and knelt beside him.

The silence between them continued as Green pulled out an apple, took a bite out of it, and glanced up at Red. Despite his silence, he could see that Red was staring at the apple with piqued interest. It was obvious that there was no need for him to eat anymore, but it must have been the first time that the strange reality of it occurred to him.

As he took a second bite, he began to feel bothered by Red's constant staring without any conversation. While he usually appreciated silence, it was growing unsettling to see him stay so quiet. Deciding enough was enough, he attempted to spark up a conversation once more.

"Are you still thinking about what happened earlier?" Green asked, and put the barely eaten apple back in the bag. He found that he was more in the mood to prompt Red to talk than anything else. Several seconds passed before he replied.

"I guess I am. Sorry, it's just that I think I've adjusted to being like this, and then I figure out another thing I'm not able to do anymore. At this rate, I don't think I'll ever be used to it", he replied quietly, looking down at his transparent body.

Hearing Red remain so sullen was incredibly frustrating, as there was nothing Green could do to snap him out of it. In the past, his problems were temporary, and always had a positive outcome waiting. Being a ghost, however, was completely beyond the standards of any other problem. This was permanent, and there was nothing irrational about Red's drastic drop in mood. So, Green decided he wasn't going to give his friend false hope. He was still determined to keep Red talking, considering there was a lot he still wondered about.

"Are you angry about your death in general? You've been getting more bothered about what you can't do", Green inquired.

Red hesitated for a moment. Green watched him intently, curious about his answer. It had been one of the questions on his mind since Red's death, and it felt like an appropriate time to ask it. Just as Green began to think Red wasn't going to answer, he finally did.

" _Angry_ isn't how I'd describe myself. Sure, I'm upset, and there's a lot I have to take in, but there isn't any real reason for me to be mad. I know what you're thinking, and I'm not here to try and get revenge, or anything like that. What happened to me was an accident. There's no reason to hold a grudge against a trainer who didn't mean to cause an accident like this, right?" he answered slowly, deliberating over each sentence.

"Accident or not, it still resulted in your death. I'd be shocked if you didn't feel any resentment towards the guy responsible for this. He didn't face any consequences for what happened!" Green protested, confused by Red's answer.

"Then you can be shocked. If I was in that trainer's shoes, I'd never get over the guilt I'd feel for what happened. Dealing with that guilt is more than enough of a punishment for something he didn't mean to do. I refuse to be any more of a burden on him", he replied, his tone firm and definite. Green knew there would be no chance of changing his mind. He decided that he could be angry enough at that trainer for the both of them.

Once he decided not to argue back, Green went on eating the food he purchased, while Red glanced between him and the wide, open forest. While talking to Green helped to take his mind off the upsetting events from earlier that day, he still wasn't content with where they left off. While they had some time together, Red was determined to make sure their conversations weren't always this bleak and heavy.

While thinking of a way to change the subject from his death, Red looked out over the forest. At first, he contemplated bringing up the other Dexholders, as he remained curious about how they were currently doing. However, he figured that conversation could easily take a turn for the worst, and decided against bringing them up.

Just before he was about to give up on searching for a new topic and letting them sit in silence, Red's eyes laid upon something which reminded him of questions he neglected to ask over the past few days. Noticing the sudden interest Red appeared to express, Green looked at him with suspicion.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I was just thinking, you never really explained clearly just how far your sixth sense goes", Red replied.

"Well, what do you want to know? I thought I was pretty clear."

"There's still a lot I don't know about it, though. Can you see _every_ ghost that's chosen to stay on the planet, or do some ghosts have weaker presences than others?" he asked, and pointed at himself, giving an indication as to whom he meant by "others".

"As far as I'm aware, I've been able to fully see any ghosts around me. I'm sure if any of them were weaker than you, I'd still have some idea they were there, even if they were less visible. I can't say for certain, but it looks like I've got the full effects of my powers", Green explained, and leaned back against the tree. After eleven years, he was no longer that disturbed by his powers, and he found explaining to be a simple task.

Red raised an eyebrow, and glanced back at the spot that had caught his eye. Seeing that he didn't seem to fully take those words to heart, Green followed Red's gaze, growing slightly suspicious. Once he realized what had caught his eye, he was no longer suspicious, and didn't know how he didn't notice what was in front of him sooner.

"Are you sure about that? There are two-" Red began.

"No, I see them. I didn't notice them until now", Green interrupted.

The two boys had been distracted by something approximately twenty feet away from them. Standing not too far from them were two ghosts with their backs turned to them, the trees in front of them almost completely visible. One appeared to be a tall, muscular boy, with his head shaved. The other appeared to be a tall, chubby girl with her dark brown hair tied back into pigtails. They appeared to grow still upon hearing hushed voices discussing them.

"You really didn't spot them until now?" Red asked, still sounding slightly suspicious.

"Yes. I doubt I was just given the power to see a select number of ghosts. Didn't it take you a while to spot them too?" Green whispered back, getting slightly irritated.

At that moment, the girl turned around, clasped onto the boy's sleeve, and turned him towards them too. She looked at them with surprise at first, convinced it was only her imagination, but quickly realized that she wasn't imagining anything. Her surprised look was replaced by an intrigued grin, and she turned to her companion, who looked more hesitant about going over. Before he could speak up, the girl made her way over to the two boys, followed with some reluctance by the boy. Up close, it was clear that they were younger than Red and Green, appearing to be in their mid-teens. Red winced, wondering how two young teenagers could lose their lives.

"Is that guy really alive? Does he know you're here?" the girl murmured to Red, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"Yeah! We were best friends when I was alive, but Green never told me that he was able to see ghosts. At least I know now. He claims he can see you two as well", he answered.

The boy and the girl raised their eyebrows, their jaws dropped slightly. They faced each other, and the boy gave a brief shake of his head. She furrowed her brows and gave a brisker nod, before turning to the other two. Red had been watching the scene awkwardly, and became curious to know what they wanted, exactly.

Green watched the exchange between the ghosts with some surprise, although he didn't show it. With Red as an exception, he expected other ghosts to be solemn. Coming across these two was proving that point wrong, and he began to wonder if they all maintained such annoying personalities, even after death.

All of a sudden, the female ghost propped herself in front of Green, who flinched. She stared at him with narrowed eyes, frowning. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, he glanced at the other two boys. Red watched the scene confusedly, while the girl's companion just gave an exaggerated shrug, as if it was out of his hands. With some resignation, he looked back at the girl, who was still watching him. Finally, she stepped back.

"Alright, if that guy's telling the truth, say something to me", she instructed, still sounding suspicious.

"You just heard him talking to me. What else do you need for proof?" Green muttered, slightly irritated.

The girl's eyes widened once more, as if she just found out all over again that there was a medium in their presence. She smiled brightly, and beckoned her companion to come closer, as if Green was putting on a circus performance. He frowned at their behaviour, but refrained from commenting. The boy hovered over, joining the circle.

"That's impressive. We came across other people who claimed to be like you, but you're the first I've seen that can actually talk to us. You'd be surprised how many people would try to make quick money off this kind of job", he commented.

Green didn't react to his comment, as he had gotten used to being a legitimate ghost-seer amongst many fakes. With his lack of a reaction, the four of them lulled back into a silence. However, while three of them say there, the girl was glancing between Red and Green, her suspicion quickly returning. After a few seconds, Green noticed her odd behaviour, and felt himself growing impatient with her.

"What?" he snapped, sitting upright. The girl turned to Red.

"Your friend's a real ray of sunshine, huh? Anyway, you still look to be around the same age as him. You're new to being a ghost, right?" she questioned, still smiling. Red nodded, and ran his fingers through his hair, looking slightly awkward.

"You're right, it's only been a month. I'm getting used to it, though", he said, sounding defensive.

 _That's not completely true,_ Green thought, remembering Red's earlier shock. He wasn't going to call him out on it, though, as it was clear that his friend was getting embarrassed in the presence of two older ghosts. There was no reason to stir up anything, but he was amused by how intimidated Red seemed to be, by the girl in particular. The boy with the shaved head was quiet, and seemed to hold an aura of unease. One new quality was that he seemed to be bothered about something, after Red had revealed how long he had been a ghost.

"I'm curious- Why _are_ you still here? We have our own reasons for staying, but I could never understand why other people would", the boy asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Red hesitated while the duo looked at him, waiting for an answer. Almost out of habit, he looked down at Green, hoping for an explanation. After a few seconds, his eyes widened, as if he had only seen Green there for the first time. He quickly turned away, still looking as if he were in shock. With the boy's question, it had been the first time he had come to realize something, but he didn't want to confront that revelation yet, especially in front of two strangers.

The girl's expression matched Red's for a moment, as she reached the same conclusion, but that look of shock was quickly replaced by a knowing grin. She let out a small laugh, attracting her friend's attention. He frowned disapprovingly, apparently familiar with that grin.

"What's wrong with you three?" Green snapped, growing more and more confused by their odd behaviour. The girl stepped forward, still wearing that grin, causing the boy to leap forward too, shaking his head at her.

"Don't you think about it", he warned the girl, who rolled her eyes, pouting. He then turned to Red, "Forget about it, I'm not that interested."

Giving a small nod, Red then shifted over towards Green, who was still lost. He noticed that Red's behaviour had become awkward and stifled, only confusing him more. On a positive note, he appeared to be livening up again, which was exactly what Green needed to avoid being around a sullen ghost. Still, he had trouble comprehending why Red was acting so strange.

As their interactions turned awkward, the two other ghosts watched. The pigtailed girl whistled, trying not to take the opportunity to tease the strangers in front of her. The boy was watching her with caution again, unable to foresee what she was going to do. Her solution to break the silence, and change the topic, took him and Green off guard.

"So, what happened to you, anyway?" she asked nonchalantly. When she saw Green glowering at her, she raised her hands defensively. "Hey, hey, only if he wants to answer it, that is. Relax."

Her comment didn't make Green relax at all. He was shocked by her audacity to ask such a personal question. However, Red didn't take offense to it, and found it as much of a basic question as any other would be. Upon noticing how relaxed he was, Green sat back a little, still tense.

"Oh, uh... A freak accident during a Pokemon battle. There wasn't anyone around to help me when it happened. It was all going pretty well until-" Red stopped, and scrawled his left hand from his shoulder to the base of his torso.

Green clenched his teeth at his action, but was even more disturbed by how easily he was able to explain it. After his earlier depressive state, he reckoned that Red didn't even want to think about the fact that he was dead. The two ghosts, on the other hand, had no change in their expressions. After a moment, one of them finally commented.

"Sounds nasty, but you could've had it worse, I guess. Was it over quickly?" the boy asked, finally getting involved in this new discussion.

Red nodded, but before he could say anything else, Green suddenly stood up, feeling his head begin to throb. He glared at the ghosts opposite them. Rage was beginning to build up in his mind, and he made no attempt to restrain himself. Red jumped at his sudden movement, but the others appeared unfazed.

"Why the hell would you say that?! 'You could have had it worse'? In case you didn't notice, it ended in the worst possible way!" he snapped, taking a step forward.

"Green, stop, he didn't say anything that rude", Red mumbled sheepishly.

The other ghosts glanced at each other for a moment, and the girl began to laugh once more. Although Green had only been in her presence for a little while, he was becoming used to anticipating that laugh. Before he could question her again, she spoke.

"Looks like you hit a nerve!" she teased her companion, and then turned to Green, "You must really care about that guy, huh? Look how offended you got on his behalf!"

"Huh?" Red muttered, as if this was a brand new concept to him.

Green forgot about his anger for a moment, and instead, felt his heart begin to race. He felt as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have done, and quickly shook his head. If he spoke, he feared that he would mess up all his words. The boy's denial only caused the girl to laugh louder, adding to Red's confusion. At that moment, Green wished that he had come across a meek and quiet old woman for a ghost, instead of this teenager.

"Whatever you say!" she laughed.

After a few seconds, she began to calm down, and turned to face her friend, still smiling. He raised his head, as if he wasn't expecting to be called on.

"You should apologize, though. He's newer to this than we are", she advised, taking on a motherly tone.

"Why? He didn't get all offended, and you should know better than him about bad ways to die", he argued. She frowned at him, causing him to look down in shame. "Alright, sorry."

Red and Green looked at each other, intrigued by the boy's comment on bad ways to die. Considering their nonchalance when it came to asking about dying, omit was safe to assume that acting on their curiosity wouldn't result in any hostility from the strangers.

"What about you two? How did you die?" Green asked, deciding against trying to take on a politer way to ask. If they were bold enough to come right out and ask it, he decided that he would be too.

"Oh, no, you don't wanna hear about that. Really gruesome stuff. Maybe when we get to be better buddies, I'll tell you all about it, okay?" the girl offered, and let out a nervous giggle. Her friend looked down at his shoes.

Red nodded slowly, while Green stared straight ahead at her. He figures that was where her openness ended. The fact that they had died when they were in their teens was a good indication that their deaths were unlikely to be peaceful ones. Green found that he had no trouble going without hearing the details of their deaths.

"Hey, we still don't know much about you two. You're staying here for a while, right?" the girl asked, leaning forward.

"Well, actually-" Green began.

"Nope, no arguments! You're staying."

Grimacing, he reached into the plastic bag once more, reckoning he'd be here a while. The girl began making lighthearted conversation once more, which Red occasionally added to. They ended up talking to their new acquaintances for about half an hour, before finally leaving the forest.

* * *

By the time they started traveling south again, the sun was beginning to set. Although Red still seemed down, he appeared to be in a better mood than before. For that, Green was willing to abide the other two ghosts, despite how obnoxious the girl was, for as long as he did.

They didn't reveal much about themselves, and certainly not their deaths. What they did reveal was that they were childhood friends, and the reason they hadn't crossed over to the afterlife was because they wanted the opportunity to spend the time they had lost together. Aside from this sentimental reason, they seemed like a lively pair, particularly the girl, who turned out to crack jokes at every available opportunity. Hearing her make Red laugh a few times was a relief to Green. He was finding it increasingly difficult to find ways to improve Red's mood on his own.

Once again, it was only Green and Red that were walking through Viridian City, the area serene at this hour. Their walk back had been a silent one, as Green was caught up in his thoughts. He had meant to bring up questions concerning the afterlife, as it was a theory his powers couldn't confirm, but the three ghosts seemed to discuss it with ease. If so, that meant Red voluntarily chose to stay in Kanto, raising more questions for Green. For the time being, he put them aside.

"Do you know where we're going now?" Red suddenly asked. He had noticed that Green seemed lost in his thoughts.

"Hm? I'm not sure. We can go back to my apartment, but it's up to you", he answered distractedly. This cause Red to stop for a moment. Green turned back towards him.

"I want to go back to my house. Could we go? I haven't been there in a long time", he requested.

Green tensed up. He recalled the last time he was there, and it wasn't with Red. Feeling ashamed after the last time he was there, he hadn't bothered to go back. Upon hearing Red's suggestion, those feelings returned, with an inkling of fear. He couldn't bring himself to reply.

"Please?" Red spoke up once more, after a minute or so had passed, "You already said you didn't have anything else planned for the day."

"Alright. Just remember that it's been a month since you were last there, so don't be surprised if it isn't very homely", Green said reluctantly.

Red smiled brightly, and hurried on ahead of him. Green wasn't in any rush to keep up, and went on thinking about the last time he was there. It didn't take Red long to notice that his friend had fallen behind, and remained lost in his own thoughts. He stopped briefly, giving Green a chance to catch up.

"Why do you want to even go back there?" Green asked once he caught up.

"Well, it was my home. I miss it, you know?" Red answered, looking straight ahead.

They had begun to trek through Route One, where the chirps of young birds could be heard. A few trainers were around, full of life and energy. Pallet Town was coming into view, with its few buildings, and Professor Oak's laboratory. The rest of the trip to Red's house was a silent one. Eventually, they reached his house, adjacent to Daisy's house, where Green once lived.

"Umm... I can't remember if I locked it or not. Do you have a key?" Red asked.

Green nodded, and pulled his key out of his pocket. Red had given him a spare a long time ago, but it felt like a bit of a pointless gift. The door was almost always unlocked. This time, as Green put the key in the lock, the door was indeed locked, as he had left it that way the last time he visited. It had nearly been a full month.

* * *

After Red's funeral, many of the Dexholders went their separate ways for the rest of the day. The groups from Kanto and Johto walked back to Viridian together before parting ways. Blue told Green that she would be going back to Johto with Silver, which was a relief to hear. He wanted to walk back to Pallet Town alone, as there was one final thing he needed to take care of.

His grandfather had mentioned in passing that someone needed to search Red's room for any Pokemon he neglected to return to the PC. Green quickly volunteered to take up the job, and no one was particularly willing to fight him for it. His grandfather made it clear that he could collect the remaining Pokemon in his own time, but Green wanted to get it done as soon as possible, so he could move onto his next task concerning Red, which took him a month to finally do.

So, that was why he ended up standing in front of Red's house, alone.

He turned the knob, and wasn't surprised in the slightest to find it unlocked. Despite how dangerous it was to keep front doors unlocked nowadays, Red hardly paid any attention to those precautions. It wasn't carelessness; he always knew what he was doing. He just happened to trust the people around him, far too much in Green's opinion.

As he entered the house, Green took in a deep breath, and curled his hand into a fist. He couldn't blame Red's trustful nature for what happened. The official verdict of his death was an accident, and thus, nobody could take the full blame for what happened.

Curling his fingers together, Green's knuckles began to grow white. 

His buttoned up collar seemed too tight around his throat, and he found himself beginning to tremble. Out of what- fear? Rage? He was unable to put a finger on it. Either way, he knew standing in the hallway for a prolonged amount of time would do nothing to help his mental state. Knowing that any attempts to calm himself down would go to waste, he proceeded to walk upstairs as well, deciding that the best possible thing to do was to get what needed doing out of the way.

Although, he already knew that he didn't come over just to do what his grandfather asked him to do. The truth was that Green needed to go somewhere quiet, where he could be alone with his thoughts. Since Red's death, it felt like he was constantly surrounded by people, and there was only so much of it he was capable of taking. He barely had a moment to process his own feelings about what had happened, and the only time he had come close to showing how he truly felt as at the funeral. It had taken all of his willpower not to break down then and there, but somehow, he held it together, watching quietly as his friends cried, and how his best friend was laid to rest.

His sister had been surprised by his ability to hold himself together. While he did try to remain calm, he felt nauseous and dizzy for the entire funeral. Walking back to Pallet Town had helped a little, but he still felt worse than he ever did. Being back in Red's house didn't help at all, but it was the only place he was certain that would be completely quiet, as the occupant of the house would never have reason to use it again.

As Green opened the door to Red's room, he found that his headache was becoming worse by the minute. The room felt too mundane. The bed covers were thrown back, as Red neglected to make his bed before going out to battle his final opponent. Books with information various Pokemon were strewn all over the floor, possibly originally opened to give Red an opportunity to read up on which Pokemon he could be up against. On top of it all, the room itself still had his smell. It felt too much like the room was awaiting Red's return, where he would resume his normal life. Instead, everything had been turned on a dime.

All of it had changed due to an 'accident'. The thought of that word caused Green to hold his breath, as he felt that familiar surge of rage returning.

Accident.

That was what it was officially written up as, infuriating Green. An accident would be bumping into someone on the street, or spilling a drink on the floor. Accidents weren't supposed to result in a life being taken, allowing the police to prioritize finding other criminals. It held no one accountable for what had happened, and did nothing to put Green’s mind at ease. Over the past few days, he had come to despise the word ‘accident’.

As he began to tremble, Green curled and uncurled his hands, unsure of what to do. He still felt awful, and wanted to leave as soon as possible, but yet he also wanted to spend as long as he needed in this room. Thinking back over Red’s death, and the funeral he had just returned from, he found himself losing what little grasp he had over his emotions. Gritting his teeth, he kicked one of the books aside, causing it to slide under the bed.

“How the hell did you just _die_ because of an _accident_?! Of all the things to kill you- You’ve survived _too much_!” he screamed, kicking around whatever he could find.

He continued to yell out whatever came into his mind, all of his angry protests muffled by the walls. Various objects were kicked and strewn around the room, creating more of a mess. Red wouldn’t have minded, dead or alive. Finally letting out the anger that had been building in his chest for the last five days, he kept up this behaviour for several minutes.

Eventually, Green tired himself out. He slumped down on the unmade bed, taking in raggedy breaths. After letting out his anger, he thought it’d help him feel better. It hardly helped at all, and he just felt more tired on top of everything else he currently felt. The worst thing was that he could feel a lump form in his throat, and an unpleasant stinging in his eyes. He knew he was about to cry, after days of resisting. It felt embarrassing after putting on such an angry display, and if the circumstances were any lighter, he’d laugh at his child-like behaviour.

As the first few tears began to fall, Green felt something sharp poke his thigh from his right pocket. He held his breath, knowing exactly what it was. Quickly, he dug into his pocket and took out the sharp object. He held it for a few moments, feeling his headache grow worse than before.

In his hand was a key with a tag attached. The key was ordinary enough, and he had a copy of his own on his keyring. The tag had two words on it, written by Green himself; ‘VIRIDIAN GYM’. His hand began to tremble violently. He had meant to put it at the head of Red’s gravestone before leaving, but in his rush to leave Lavender Town, he abandoned the idea. He regretted it, considering the key was meant for Red.

Several months before that dreadful battle, Green had another pressing issue on his hands. His grandfather was becoming weaker as he grew older, and one particular day, sat Green and Daisy down to talk to them. He reckoned that he would have to retire within the next three years, for the sake of his health. What he needed was for someone to take over his research, and his highest preferences were his next-of-kin. While Daisy happily volunteered to take over, Green didn’t exactly take a backseat on the matter either. 

He had never been all that pushed about being a gym leader, and over the past few years, he found himself growing slightly bored with it. Over the last four years, he realized that he’d prefer lab work as a long-time career over gym training. With that, he offered to take Professor Oak’s place when the time came, but with one condition; to personally choose his replacement for the position of Viridian Gym Leader.

For a long time, he knew that Red had wanted the position. He didn’t show his more generous side that often, but with an opportunity like this, it’d feel wrong not to offer Red the position. So, after a few weeks of deliberating the matter with the Pokemon League, they agreed to let Green decide who to make the new Gym Leader. Green felt an unusual amount of impatience to tell Red immediately, but decided to hold it off until Professor Oak gave more hints of his eventual retirement. Until then, Green decided to keep the second key to the gym as a secret.

Sitting in that room alone, however, Green completely regretted holding anything back. He should have given Red the opportunity to live out his dream job before that disastrous battle, but nothing could change that. Green resented himself for concentrating so much on ‘What if’ scenarios, but he felt it was necessary to take time to mourn, at least.

Letting tears fall more freely, he stifled a sob, stared down at the key once more, and then threw it across the room. It bounced off the wall, and landed in the middle of the floor. He stared at it for several more seconds, and made a lousy attempt to wipe his face. Realizing there was no point in trying to fix himself up, Green laid down on the bed, and let his emotions run freely for once.

He knew there was a possibility Red’s ghost was still roaming around. That was what kept him strong over the past few days, but as Green laid there, alone in that room, he wanted nothing more than things to return to normal. Being around Red’s ghost would never give him the opportunity to return to a normal lifestyle. The other Dexholders would never know he was there, and there was so much Red would be limited to do. 

While he would take any chance to see Red, he desperately wanted to have him alive and well once more, rather than a wandering ghost, who died as a result of a so-called accident.

Green remained there for several hours, and only left after he recomposed himself. He didn’t take the time to clean up the room, and only grabbed the one Pokeball that was on his desk, which contained his Gyarados, ready to return to Professor Oak the next day. After his breakdown, he decided he’d do everything he could to avoid going back to that house.

 

* * *

 

However, the time for avoiding that return had come to an end. After Green opened the door, Red stepped in at the same time as him, looking around at the place he used to live. The downstairs area hadn’t been altered in the slightest since he was last there. While he hovered around from room to room, Green stood in the hallway, listening to Red’s occasional comments. After fifteen minutes, he came back out into the hallway, raising his eyebrows upon seeing Green in the exact same spot.

“Don’t just stand there. Want to come upstairs with me?” Red offered.

After a moment of hesitation, Green nodded, deciding that there was no point in arguing. He realized he was getting irrationally worried. Red’s room wasn’t exactly spotless when he came here, so it was easy to assume he wouldn’t have to explain anything.

He followed Red up the stairs, who was looking around with all the curiosity of someone who had never been inside the house. Once he reached his room, he briefly came to a stop. Green almost walked right through him, but saved himself from doing so. Before he could comment on Red’s unusual stop, the ghost moved into the room, slower than before.

“Wow, I know I was messy, but I didn’t think I was _this_  bad”, Red mumbled, looking around.

Green entered the room too, seeing the damage he had caused a month ago. He could see why Red had stopped. Judging by the way he had kicked some objects around, it was clear that someone had taken their anger out in this room. 

“I’ll try and clean this place up a bit”, Green offered, and bent down to pick up some of the books.

Red watched as he placed the books back in their rightful places. As Green slowly made the room a little cleaner, his eyes eventually fell on an object. It was rather unremarkable amongst the larger mess, but as the room became clearer, it caught Red’s eye. It didn’t seem like the type of object he’d leave lying around his room, no matter how careless he might be.

While Green was still putting away books, Red knelt down beside it, and noticed it was a key. He grew more curious, as he was unfamiliar with the cut of it. Focusing as much as he could, Red reached out and curled his fingers around the tag. After a few seconds, he felt a tingling sensation run through his fingers, and he was able to pick up the key. He stood up, holding the key in the palm of his hand. 

Green turned around after putting the last book on the shelf and froze at what he saw. Red didn’t pay any attention to him, and instead, scanned the words written on the tag. His curious look was replaced by one of confusion, and he looked up at Green, frowning.

“What’s this doing here? Were you here before?” Red asked, placing his palm out. Green looked away, but nodded.

“Gramps asked me to pick up any Pokemon you might have here”, he explained abruptly.

“That doesn’t explain how a key to your gym got on my floor. This isn’t your main key, is it?”

“No. Why are you asking so much about this?”

“What was this doing here? Come on, I’ve shared a lot with you. It’s your turn.”

Just like before, Green felt that headache return. This time, it wasn’t out of grief, but out of fear for Red’s reaction. There was no point in lying to him, especially when he was being this stubborn about finding out the truth, but it was still something he didn’t want to explain. Nevertheless, he took a step forward, and looked Red in the eyes.

Slowly, he began to explain, condensing the story as much as he could. Red’s confusion was replaced by outright dismay. Green wasn’t that far into his story by that point, but as he continued to explain, Red’s head lowered, and he felt that familiar sense of depression overtake him. He tightened his grip on the small key, realizing it could have belonged to him. Green finished his explanation quietly, watching his friend intently. Eventually, Red found the ability to speak again.

“So, you’re saying I might have become a gym leader after all, huh?” he murmured. Green nodded.

“You wanted the position more than I did. I understand if you’re angry, but I had to keep it quiet. Gramps isn’t willing to retire just yet- Red?” Green stopped, suddenly concerned. 

Red had begun to tremble, and for a moment, Green began to wonder if he’d burst into tears. He had no idea whether or not ghosts had the ability to cry, but it wasn’t something he was all that curious to find out. He took another step forward, unsure of what to do. Even if he wanted to, he could hardly offer a pat on the shoulder, or anything of the sort. Before he could decide on what to do, Red spoke once more, causing him to take a step back.

“I’m sorry, this really isn’t my day. I did mean it when I said I don’t hold any grudges over my death, but it feels like today keeps offering me more reasons for me to wish I was alive again.”

That was all he said, but it was enough to make Green take another step back. He wished he had fought harder against coming back to Red’s house. His attempt to cheer his friend up after the party fiasco was a total waste, as his day just became worse, regardless. _Why can’t I manage to do one nice thing for him?!_ , he thought.

Before he could decide where to go next, Red suddenly hovered in front of him, his melancholic expression replaced by one of concern. With some effort, he mustered a smile.

“Wait. I’m really grateful that you wanted to do this for me! You know how much I wanted an opportunity like this, and you would have really set my life on track. Even if it did go to waste, I’m glad you put in the effort. Really, thank you, Green”, Red told him.

Green froze up, surprised by Red’s sudden turnaround. His smile appeared more natural, and his words made Green believe he truly was grateful. For a moment, they both just stared at each other, before Red lowered his fist, which contained the key..

“Here, this belongs to you.”

Red placed his fist in Green’s open palm. He lifted his palm to make things easier. The key slipped through Red’s fingers, and into Green’s. However, that fist remained in his palm for a few more seconds. Then, he spread his fingers out, still connected to Green’s. Red interlocked their fingers, the key still balanced between both hands. 

All at once, Green felt many things. The first was his observations on Red’s hand. It felt pleasantly warm, even on a summer’s evening. It felt much more formless and free than a normal hand, and it took some concentration of his own to fully grasp the form of Red’s hand. He also felt incredibly confused by Red’s action, trying to comprehend what brought this on. Most of all, he was trying to decide whether he should pull away and remove any chance for Red to suspect his feelings, or if he should let his hand linger there.

As Red swung their arms ever-so-slightly, he grinned, realizing he had the ability to move Green’s arm by his own accord. Green made no attempt to move, his subconscious making its own decision on what to do. 

The two boys remained like that for a few moments, finally taking a few moments for themselves for the first time on that hectic day. It didn’t go unappreciated.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (no homo)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I might have brought in actual characters from another series to play the roles of the two other ghosts. Any guesses as to who they might be?
> 
> Anyway, I'll be getting into big events in the next chapter, so I hope to update soon enough!


End file.
